Pride
by GodsAngel1
Summary: Sequel to Prejudice: Everything is falling apart and getting worse for our two lovers. Will they be united again or will the enemy get his way. FAYExVICIOUS
1. Vicious

It seems like I've been down here forever, though its only been a week. Every waking moment feels like night time with the limited amount of light that I see. There are no windows here, just four walls, a small cot and myself. I miss my katana, my most trusted ally, and I miss Faye. I miss our moments together, our constant quarrels, hugging and kissing her. Though I hate my current situation I don't regret doing what I did. The only regret is not having as much time with Faye as I would have liked. I never got the chance to do anything for her after our feelings for each other were revealed. I'll have to make it up to her when I get out of here. Though Christine might push to keep me in here, her and Dagger.

I'll never understand how that woman operates. First she's pushing for one thing then she changes her mind and decides on something contrasting to her previous intention. I pity Mao for having to be around her for all those years.

The sound of footsteps break me away from my thoughts and I look up ready to face my visitor. The door opens and he walks in with a smirk on his face, his hands in his pocket. "Hello brother," he said.

"We're not brothers," I replied.

"Oh forgive me then, step-brother,"

"Why are you here, I don't want to see you so leave," I said coldly. He didn't budge. Clearly he was here to say something and not just to torment me.

"Is that anyway to greet your sibling,"

"Half-sibling," I corrected.

"I'm at a dilemma right now Victor, I don't no whether I should order you to be executed or should I just let you rot here. Though I would want nothing more than to have you dead, torturing you is so much more pleasurable, don't you agree,"

"For you I'm sure it would be pleasurable," I said.

"Then there's the issue with Faye. She won't shut up about you, always crying and talking about how she wants to see you, its quite annoying though but entertaining cause she gets so worked up about it. She really is a sight when she's angry,"

Vicious smirked. "Her bite is worse than her bark. She's not a woman to be messed with," I told him.

"I'm sure," he said. He walked in closer to me and I stared into his eyes. I could tell he wanted nothing more than to kill me right then and there but he stood still, refraining himself from the temptation. I found it quick amusing since, had the situation been reversed I wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Dagger has caused me nothing but pain ever since I first met him and nothing could ever make me want to grant mercy on him. The problem with killing him at this moment was that one, I was weaponless while he most likely had a gun or two in his inner coat pocket. The second was that there were too many guards in sight, I wouldn't have a chance in making even halfway to the front door. Lucky for me I was a patient man, someone willing to plan things out carefully before taking action. "What are you thinking about?" asked Dagger.

"How I'm going to kill you," I answered.

"I see, and have you come up with a plan yet," he asked boldly as if not bothered at all.

"Not yet," I said truthfully. He let out a small laugh then turned his back to me to leave. He was silent as he wanted out of the room and the doors closed behind him.


	2. Faye

I'm pregnant with Vicious child. Mom won't even look at me and Dagger has been avoiding me. He claims he's scared that his anger will consume him and he'll end up doing something unforgivable. I don't know why he keeps trying to get my attention. I don't want him and although everyone, including him, sees that he still continues to try and claim me as his. Spike and Julia have been silent about the whole pregnancy issue and I haven't talked to Mao still. How depressing. I'm pregnant and I'm the only one happy about it.

I wonder what Vicious would say if he knew. I'm not really sure what he thinks about kids, we're never really had that conversation before. I miss him terribly. With him gone I only had Shin to keep me company but now he isn't even around. Dagger's been keeping him so busy lately we haven't had any time to talk. I find it all ridiculous especially since Shin's not even apart of Dagger's syndicate.

He's been doing nothing but trying to take over everything since Vicious was taken away. No one's even trying to stop him. I see him more now then I ever did before, except for the past two days after he found out about my pregnancy. I was glad the news had scared him off. Hopefully it would keep him far away from me as possible.

"Faye," called a voice as it entered my room. Its him.

"Why are you here," I ask venomously. He looks at me with a smirk on his face and comes over to my bed sitting besides me.

"Did you really think I was going to stay away just because your pregnant with a bastard child," he said.

"I expected you to," I told him. "And my child is not a bastard. Your just pissed cause I chose Vicious over you." He roughly grabbed my arm pulling me close to his face. I struggled but his hold just got tighter. "What do you want," I whispered.

"I want to take care of you," he answered.

"Let me see Vicious," I said ignoring his comment.

"Why?" he asked.

"He deserves to know I'm carrying his child and I should be the one to tell him." I said. I pulled my arm away from his grasp and stood up walking as far away from him as I could get.

"That thing won't last six months, thats the child of a traitor," he spat. "He'll be taken away from you,"

"I won't let that happen," I spoke, in a stern voice. He didn't seem shaken. He merely smirked and stood up leaving me in the room alone. Just the by the look on his face I could tell he was planning something. No doubt Dagger would try to do everything to keep Vicious and I apart and take away our child. The worst part was he'd probably end up succeeding. With the way things were going now Dagger would probably end up taking over the Red Dragons Syndicate. He might even try to have Vicious killed. Then there will be no one to stop him.

Unless....

My head turns as the door squeaks open. I step back expecting it to be Dagger but freeze when I see someone I wasn't expecting.

"Hello Faye," he says with a small smile on his face.

I didn't speak. I didn't know how to begin. I knew the day would come that we would have to see each other and talk but I didn't expect it to be so soon. Also I didn't expect him to be the one to approach me after all the times I rejected his visits. Oh well, I suppose its now or never.

"Hello Mao,"


	3. Christine

"I can't believe she's pregnant," I said in disgust.

"I can," said Jack. He seemed as if he was expecting it to happen. Bastard! I hate how he's always so calm about everything and acts as if he always knows what's going on. You can never catch him by surprise.

"You're a very strange man Jack," I said. He smirked and ran a hand down my back.

"You love me for it," he replied resting his hand on my hip and drawing me close. No, I don't love him. I hate him with all my heart and soul, it because I'm so terrified of him that I stay and do whatever he asks of me. That's' why I let him touch me and do whatever he wants. He's a very powerful man, not the type you would want to be enemies with.

This reminds me of early years of my marriage. I met Jack at some party my family was hosting. He made it very clear that he wanted me although he too was already taken. At first I ignored him but that was before I knew the kind of power he held. After a while I gave into his charms and we had an affair. Two weeks into the affair I got pregnant and I honestly terrified of the thought that my child could possibly be his.

Luckily Faye turned out to be my husband's child. What was his name again? It's been so long I can't ever remember. I never had feelings for him either. Our marriage was set up by our parents. He fell in love with me and I played the role of the good wife and made him believe I loved him back.

In truth the only one I ever loved was my darling Faye. She was the only one that kept me sane and the only reason that I stayed with my husband for so long. It's because of my love for her that I always made sure she had nothing but the very best.

Faye can't be trusted when it comes to finding the right man since she always gets the ones that end up hurting her. It started with Spike then with Vicious. I blame myself for Vicious. I was only thinking of his rank when I decided to set them up together. No more though. When it comes to love mother knows best. She may be pregnant with that bastard's child but that can be easily dealt with when the time comes. Convincing Faye that she would be happier with Dagger won't be too difficult. After all I convinced her Vicious was the man for her. Doing the same with Dagger would be a piece of cake. They should then be engaged within at least a month or so no later than two months.

"Go to the Red Dragon's Syndicate, Spike is waiting for you," said Jack knocking me from my thoughts. He gave me a light kiss on my shoulder, then cheek, then lips and I left before he could change his mind about me going.

"Disgusting beast," I muttered as I storm down the hall.

When I got to the Red Dragons I immediately went over to Faye's room. I opened the door and stood surprised as I saw her talking to Mao, another man I found to be a nuisance. "I'll come back later," I said and quickly shut the door. I didn't feel like dealing with Mao at the moment. He was doing nothing but making everything as difficult as possible and doing nothing what so ever about Vicious. As far as I could see Vicious would be let out within the end of the month and all my future plans would be ruined. I knew Mao and he had a really close bond with Vicious. He would never kill him. That showed how weak he was. He knows anyone who defies the rules of the syndicate deserves to die. It's because of his own selfishness that Vicious isn't already on death row.

I found it quite amusing the other day when he said he couldn't bear to hurt Vicious because of Faye. That was a load of crap. He knew it had nothing to do with Faye. If he cared about Faye's feelings he would have never arrested Vicious to begin with. No, it had absolutely nothing to do with Faye. He was just saying so because he couldn't stand her giving him the cold shoulder any longer.

Mao has always thought of Faye as a daughter. When she was born he even tried to claim her as his. Yes I slept with him also before I got pregnant but that was a complete mistake, not to mention we both were drunk, me more than him. He ended up telling my husband and I quickly made up a story saying he was the one who was drunk and that he raped me. He didn't believe me at first but when I got the rape story confirmed by a doctor, who I handsomely paid to lie, he turned his back on Mao and held me close to his side. Mao was furious but I didn't care. The farther away he was the easier it was for me to manipulate my husband.

I meet Spike in his office where he was standing by his desk looking at some papers. He said hi without looking from his work and I replied with a low, 'hmm.' He set his papers down as I took a seat and looked at me with those ridiculous mix matched eyes of his and smirked. "What," I said.

"Temper, temper. What's got you so angry on this fine day," he said.

"A lot of things as a matter of facts. Things that I don't feel like sharing with you. Now tell me why I'm here,"

"Your daughter's been locked up in her room for days." he said.

"I've noticed. Don't worry, I'm working on a solution," I told him.

"Care to inform me on your plan,"

"As a matter of fact I don't. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about," I said impatiently.

"Dagger's offering me the position of leader of the Red Dragons," he then said. Now that was news I wasn't aware of. "Really, for what price?" I asked interested.

"My vow to get rid of Faye's child after its birth," he said. Seems like Robert is already one step ahead of me. Why didn't he tell him of his plans though. He led me to believe he was going to claim the child as his. Bastard. Just like his father.

"So I take it you're going to need my help," I said.

"Naturally. There's no one a girl trusts most than her mother. Though I know you don't like keeping things from Faye we both know it's all for the best,"

"I agree. So what's your plan?" I asked. Does he even have a plan.

"You're the mastermind in making and breaking relationships, I figured you would have a plan," he said. I should of known. Spike isn't exactly the type of man with brains. He's the follower in everything he does. The only thing he seems to be leading is his excuse of a relationship with that whore Julia. It won't be look before he's chasing after new flesh because like I said, he's a follower, easy to grab hold of but difficult to keep in place when he finds something he believes grants more favor to him. "Just leave it to me," I told him and stood up. Its time to go see my daughter.


	4. Dagger

The world is not a corrupt place, it's the people that are corrupt. Its people who trigger the forces of good and evil, people who make and break the world. Vicious broke my world when he came into my family. He, his father, and his whore of a mother messed up everything. Sometimes I wonder if he knew how much of a devil that woman was.

If Vicious had has chosen to follow me when we were younger we would have never became enemies. We would be ruling this world as the most powerful men this planet has ever witnessed. Our names would have been famous for generations and our family's legacy would have lived on for centuries.

Instead he decided to abandon me. Now this is the outcome. His fate rests in my hands. I can either destroy him or spare him. Though destroying him would be quite simple, using him to my advantages has its perks. It's a tough decision to make especially since half of my acquaintances want him to live and the other half want him dead.

According to my research nearly all the members of The Red Dragons except the remaining elders stand by Vicious. Not surprising though. However Spike is amongst the group that wants him dead as is Christine. As for Mao, he doesn't seem to know where his loyalties lie. That man can really be a bother sometimes and there are moments when I feel tempted to shoot him in between the eyes. There would be nothing to stop me including Faye, since she's focused all her attention away from him.

Speaking of which, I wonder if he knows she's pregnant. If not, he will eventually. Maybe I should tell Vicious also, next time I go visit him. It would be amusing to watch his face turn pale and his pulse raise with fear. It was quite an enjoyment when watching Christine's reaction towards the news.

She had watched in on Faye and I when we were talking and gasped when Faye announced she was pregnant. Her face turned white and she stood still as if she were dead. Lucky for her Shin came up behind her putting a hand on her back in case she were to collapse. I couldn't help but smirk.

For the rest of the day she stayed in her room shaking as if she were drugged. She didn't say a word to Faye but that didn't keep her from shouting and getting out her frustration. Father had me go after her when she walked out of the syndicate and took a car, speeding off. He was worried she'd do something stupid and get herself put in the hospital or killed.

They had a very strange relationship and at times it seemed as if Jack loved her. I knew better though. He just liked toying with her. He always found her interesting and liked how she would always try to take control and be independent. She was a smart woman and I suppose that's why he's still in relations with her, and although she didn't seem like much Christine did basically get everything she wanted. That's another reason why she's so interesting to my father.

I didn't care for her much but I didn't dislike her. Vicious didn't share my views. He always hated her because he believed she's part of the reason why his mother was so depressed. Vicious mother was first married to my father, and during the stage of their early marriage he met Christine. A while later I was born. Two years later Vicious was born. No one knew that he wasn't my father's son though. He became her favorite child and she saw me as pure disgust. There were even times when she would beat me. My father soon found out about her abuse and started hitting her.

That's when she confronted him about his affair with Christine. I didn't actually understand it all until I saw it for my own eyes one night while we were at one of her parties celebrating her birthday. Everyone except mother went. I then realized that what mother had said was true. It was obvious because of the looks Jack would throw her way and the way Christine would go tense every time he was around her.

The whole ordeal made me laugh, Vicious on the other hand was furious. That's why she left Jack and married Vicious father. Then she confessed that Vicious wasn't Jack's son and that she had cheated on him and bared the son of his enemy as revenge for being with Christine. Jack was furious but didn't show it. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking that she had won one against him. He claimed that he knew about the whole thing and didn't care one bit. He was the one to kick her out and divorce her.

I also remember the first time we both laid eyes on Faye. We were at the funeral of her father Victor, though we weren't exactly welcome by Mao. I had seen Faye previously in a picture in Victor's office but never in person. While my father and her mother were talking, Christine pretending to cry and him pretending to show concern, I stood with Faye who stared down the whole time.

I saw Vicious from a distance staring in our direction but I was surprised when I noticed his eyes weren't filled with hate. I then realized he was staring at Faye. I had never seen so much emotion in him before and that's when I decided to take this to my advantage. I made myself become obsessed with Faye, preparing for the day when I would steal her from Vicious and make her hate him. I never believed she would fall in love with him of all people especially since Vicious wasn't the type of person to show feelings for anyone.

That's when everything went wrong. Luckily Vicious pulled that incident with the elders on the day of his coronation making everything all the better for me and advancing my plan to a whole new level.

"Why do you insist on taking me out when I've made it clear I'm not interested in you?" asked Faye. I had taken her to a little Italian restaurant for lunch though it wasn't easy trying to get her to go with me.

"Because I want to spend time with you. Is that so wrong? Besides I plan to marry you so I think we should really work on our diverging relationship," I told her as I ate a piece of my steak.

"Were you not listening to anything I just said? How can you even talk about marriage now, I haven't even known you for six months," she argued.

"You may have not known me Faye but I knew you. That's all that matters." I answered.

"You may have seen me or heard of me but that doesn't mean you knew me." She said bitterly. "I don't even see why you want to marry me, its not like you love me."

"As if anyone marries for love now a days. I'm attracted to you, that seems like enough for me." I told her. She dropped her fork and napkin and stood up heading towards the bathroom. "Was it something I said," I muttered sipping some wine. I truly enjoyed getting Faye all worked up. The look on her face was very amusing. The second she came back she tried to seem calm but I could see she was still aggravated since she hardly met my eyes.

Sometimes I think Faye is too sensitive but seeing her mad doesn't necessarily mean she's mad or that she's feeling a strong sense of aversion, it just shows that's she's annoyed. No matter though, emotions can be controlled and also manipulated…


	5. Faye then Shin

Everything was chaotic. Nothing was going right and on top of it all the Red Dragon Elders had left Vicious fate in the hands of his worst enemy, Dagger, his older half brother. Now Dagger was on a mission to make me his wife. No one was on my side. The syndicate was collapsing and Dagger was slowly moving to take control. No one could be trusted.

After coming back from lunch with Dagger I was sent word that Spike wanted to see me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into Vicious office and saw Spike sitting comfortably in Vicious chair as if it belonged to him. He glanced at me then waved his hand signaling for the man to leave. "Hello Faye," he said as he turned his eyes to me.

"Why are you here, this is Vicious office," I said. Spike sighed then stood up and walked towards me. He hugged me but I stayed perfectly still waiting patiently for an explanation. He released me then stepped back and smiled.

"Faye, this is no longer his office. He's not even apart of this syndicate anymore. He's a traitor, and the only thing that's in store for him is execution," he told me. My eyes widen in disbelief. It couldn't be true, Vicious couldn't be killed.

"You can't," I told him.

"It's not up to me,"

"So who gets the final say, Dagger? Why does he get to decide everything, he's not even apart of this syndicate," I protested. Spike tried to calm me down, not that it's helping. I'm beyond pissed at the moment and feel the sudden need to just grab some guns and a car and break Vicious out myself. He went on to talk about Dagger and the syndicate but I ignored him not wanting to hear any of his bullshit. It wasn't until I heard the words Vicious, marry and Dagger that I froze and turned my attention to him but he wasn't the one who had spoke.

"Christine," said Spike. I turned and looked at my mother and she smiled and walked over to me. "What did you say," I said.

"I said the only way to save Vicious is if you give in to Dagger's demands and marry him," she repeated.

"Marry Dagger, how do I know he's going to keep Vicious alive after we're married,"

"Faye I think we all know if he did kill Vicious after the two of you were married you could simply leave him or kill yourself," Spike said.

"I can't," I told them shaking my head. "He wouldn't want me to,"

"Oh screw what he wants Faye," said mother angrily.

I shook my head again. "He'd rather die than see me married to his brother,"

"Faye if you don't we are all doomed. Spike and I are pawns in this game of Dagger's, if you don't do what he wants there won't be any hope for us including Julia, Mao, Shin and the rest of this syndicate. Now Vicious might rather die than to see you marry his brother but would you rather see him die than marry Dagger when you know you could have prevented that. Will you be able to live with yourself with the thought that you condemned everyone but yourself to death," she said.

"But myself,"

"Dagger would never kill you. He would let you live to suffer the consequences of your choice," Spike explained.

No, they trapped me. I looked away trying to not let guilt fight its way in me. Unfortunately it was crawling into my body like venom. They had me trapped like a caged bird. There was nowhere for me to escape; now the only way to survive would be to act as the puppet that I was required to be. The only way to insure everyone lived was to betray my heart. My legs went felt and as I took a step forward I fell to my knees and hung my head low. There was silence in the room and I could feel mother and Spike's eyes on me waiting for me to speak.

"What are your terms," I whispered. I knew the two of them were smiling with a look of satisfaction upon both of their faces. Spike walked back to his desk and sat down in his chair telling me and mom to have a seat. Mother came over to me and helped me up guiding me to the chair then taking a seat beside me. This was it, I was about to sign my name to the devil's contract.

* * *

There were rules in this game I was playing. Rule one: Give no signs of affection for Vicious, rule two: make my love for Dagger believable, and rule three: Remember that someone is always watching.

No one was to know how I saved Vicious from death by marrying his brother. No one was to know how I despised Dagger. One wrong move and it would be all over, Vicious and everyone else I cared about would die and I would live the rest of my life in agony knowing that it was all because of me.

About an hour or so later mother called me into her room. It would be the first time she talked to me since she found out about my pregnancy, not including our little meeting in Spike's office. I walked in and there she was sitting in a long cream dress with the back showing, smoking a cigarette and looking at the mirror as if getting ready to go to some party. "Hello dear," she said as I walked to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"You look nice," I told her. She smiled and stood up straightening out her dress and fixing her hair. No doubt she was headed out somewhere, most likely with Jack. "Is there something you wanted to tell me," I asked impatiently.

"Oh Faye," she said putting her arms around me. "I just wanted to see you. You know I can't hold a grudge against you for long." She let go of me and went to her closet searching for shoes. "I just want you to know I'm not mad at you one bit. This whole pregnancy situation just came as a shock to me. After all I wanted kids to come much later in the future, you know after your married and all," she told me.

"I know mother," I replied. Was she really ok with the fact that I was carrying a traitors child or was she pretending because she didn't want to have to lose me. Not that she ever would, I would never leave my mother even though she could be very aggravating at times. Though I know she could be a pain and a bit greedy she still had her good qualities and she was still my mother. She raised me and never left my side even when my father died. She was always there making sure I had the best of everything. That's all she wanted for me. The best there was.

When I went back to my room I was surprised to see Shin there, standing by the window waiting for me. I was so happy to see him the next thing I knew I was running into his arms holding him tight. He hugged me back asking how I was and I told him I've been better. He asks if I've heard from Dagger and I tell him how the two of us had lunch earlier. He frowned then changed the subject bringing up Vicious and saying how he just come back from seeing him. I look away trying to hide the emotion I feel towards hearing about Vicious. I had to remember the rules.

Shin then pulled out a small paper and said it was a note Vicious wrote to me when he had smuggled him some paper and a pen. I looked at the note. My hands were shaking wanting to grab it and read what was written on it but I knew I couldn't. I had to remember I didn't care about Vicious anymore. I had to remember I didn't love him anymore.

"Faye," said Shin as he looked at me worried.

"Take it away," I told him. "I don't want it,"

Shin stared at me confused. "Faye what are you talking about," he said.

"I don't want anything to do with Vicious. He's dead to me," I said trying to sound convincing. I wasn't sure if Shin believed my words but his silence told me he did. He stood still trying to comprehend what I just said letting the words sink in. He stuffed Vicious note back into his pocket then walked past me not saying a word. I wanted to stop him and tell him it was all a lie and take the note and read it until my eyes get weary but I knew I couldn't. That was against the rules.

**Shin's POV**

I was in shock when Faye refused to take Vicious note. I was in more shock when she said she wanted nothing to do with him. I knew better though. I noticed as she talked she never looked me in the eyes. I noticed how her hands shook as she stared at the note, she wanted to grab it. Apparently something seemed to be going on. What I couldn't figure out was why Faye didn't just say so. She knew she could trust me so why fool me. Was It because she was worried that someone might be listening in, or was it because someone actually was listening in.

**Faye's POV**

Shin is not stupid. He knew something was up. How could he not. Not once did I look at him when I mentioned Vicious. Yes he knew. He knew and now was going to try and figure out what was going on. He would then tell Vicious and Vicious would do something reckless. There was only one thing to be done now.

I ran out of my room and went after Shin catching him before he made It to the elevator. I looked him dead in the eyes waiting for a second as I caught my breath. "I'm marrying Dagger," I told him.

"What," he said in disbelief.

"Tell him that next time you see him. I felt guilty about it earlier but now I've come to my senses. I can't be with someone who tried to destroy the world I grew up in and if he doesn't already know tell him about my pregnancy."

"Pregnant, your pregnant,"

"Tell him I'm aborting the baby,"

"Faye, are you mad," he said grabbing onto my shoulders.

"I won't give birth to a child belonging to a traitor," I yelled.

"Faye," Shin whispered. I looked away from his eyes and to the side and there stood Spike, mother, and Mao a little ways away and to my surprise way in the back was Jack and Dagger with a wide smirk on his face. I looked down and Shin released me locking eyes with Spike. Now that they had all heard there was no taking any of it back. Now I would have to play it forward as it was meant to be.


	6. Spike

"Congratulations to me, the new leader of the Red Dragons Syndicate," I say as I pour myself a glass of whiskey. Julia stands by the door not looking so impressed. Sometimes I wonder if marrying her was the right thing to do. I always figured it was too early but she insisted on it, and instead of well thought out and extravagant wedding we had a small little ceremony down at city hall. How I let her talk me into things I'll never know.

"Don't you think it's a little too early for whiskey?"

"Don't you think it's a bit too early to start fighting," I say back.

"Who's fighting, I'm merely saying-

"Well do me a favor and don't, I'm trying to celebrate Julia so please, don't ruin the moment." She throws up her hands in defeat and retreats to our room. I hate arguing with her and lately it seems to be more of a habit than ever. 'Knock Knock' "Come in…Mao, how very nice to see you,"

"What's this I'm hearing about Faye getting married to Dagger and getting an abortion,"

"She's had a change of heart I suppose," I tell him.

"No, something isn't right, I know it," he says in a low voice. As I take my seat in my chair staring at Mao I can't help but wonder if he can truly be trusted. Vicious was always his favorite even though the two had their disagreements he would never be willing to kill Vicious. Also he didn't like Dagger or Jack. Only time would tell if he was to be out or able to stay in the game. "So Mao, is that all you're here for," I ask.

"No actually, I'm here because I've been told by the older elders that you are a candidate for the position of leadership,"

"The only candidate from what I hear," I point out, "Which isn't surprising since I was second to Vicious,"

"There are still others,"

"Yes but everyone is busy know a days, I mean look at Shin, the poor guy never seems to have time on his hands. Besides what's wrong with me taking leadership," I say.

"Well to be honest, I'm not sure you're completely ready. Besides, Vicious-

"Vicious is no longer a member of this syndicate," I shout.

"He is on suspension,"

"He's on death row, god damn it," I reply slapping my hands on my desk.

"Not if I can help it," he says then storms out. Now I see why Christine hates him so much. Mao is too hard headed and always likes to meddle in affairs that he knows he shouldn't. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of him in the near future. "Jesus," I mutter to myself. Next door I can hear Julia's footsteps running over to the bed as I walk towards the door trying to make it seem as if she wasn't spying. When I see her she's sitting on the bed with a magazine in hand trying to look concentrated on whatever she's looking at. God this woman could sure drive me to drink. Sometimes I wished I hadn't of left Faye for her but even if I hadn't, I know things with Faye and I wouldn't have worked out. We saw each other as merely friends and that is how our relationship was always meant to be. We started out like friends and we will end life as friends, if she doesn't grow to resent me first by discovering the truth of how Christine and I tricked her into marrying Dagger and getting rid of her child.

* * *

2 days later and it's the same old thing going on once again. Mao is running around trying to figure out what is going on, Christine is trying to be the good mother for Faye and Vicious is still locked up in a small cell unaware of what's going on in the outside world. Everyone seems to be in deep conversation about something yet no actions are taking place. God, waiting is such a bother. Things will definitely be different once I'm head of this place. No more waiting for the elder's approval for any of my decisions. Truthfully there's really no need for their approval, they should only be around for counseling and assistance, not decision making, that there will be left up to me.

"Spike Spiegel, there you are you handsome devil," says Christine as she walks into my office.

"Darling Christine,"

"Well," she starts as she takes a seat. "It seems as if a congratulations is in order,"

"Thank you my dear, cigarette," I offer.

"No thank you. Smoking isn't doing anything good for my health; I'll take a drink though,"

"One drink for the lady,"

As I pour Christine a drink her cell phone rings and when she answers it she voice shows a hint of annoyance but also dangerously flirty. No doubt she's talking to Jack. I'll never understand the relationship those two have and quite frankly I don't want to. Jack is the one person who I wouldn't want to get mixed up with, probably because I find the man to be as intimidating as everyone finds him to be. Also he makes enemies quicker than he makes friends and even the tiniest thing could make him hate you for life. Sometimes I can't help but feel sorry for Christine because it's clear that she isn't attracted to him like he is her. Still, it's her own fault for falling into his trap, now she has to suffer the consequences and if he sinks she'll have to sink down below with him.

My thoughts come to a close once Christine hangs up her phone and lets out a sigh. It seems her visit has now come to a close. "I have to get going, Jack needs me,"

"That man sure has a lot of needs," I say handing her a drink.

"You're telling me, day and night it's just 'I need this,' and 'I need that,' god what about my needs," she says then chugs down her drink.

"How's Faye?" I ask deciding to change the subject. I could feel Christine's stress meter increasing as she thought about Jack.

"God, she's like a ghost. We went to the doctors earlier and finally got rid of that abomination. She's been quiet ever since."

"You can't really blame her, you know she wanted to keep the child it was obvious, just like her attraction to Vicious was obvious and still is,"

"Do you have to keep reminding me? I still blame myself for getting those two involved in the first place," Christine says.

"It's not really your fault, how were you suppose to knows things would turn out this way,"

"I guess. Well whatever, I have to go, Jack awaits my arrival. He wants me to be with him when he goes to see some people for lunch," she tells me.

"He must really love you if he keeps always calling for you," I mention.

She laughs. Apparently I'm mistaken. "Spike, that man has no love for anyone even if he says he does. He has no idea what love is, he only thinks he does. The true meaning of love and his definition are two very diverse things, trust me."

In my mind I can't help but laugh but I don't show it. I simply smirk and take hold of Christine's empty glass. "If you say so, I see no reason not to trust your judgment; you're the expert after all,"

"Of course I am. Goodbye Spike, I'll see you at the party later,"

"Of course Christine," I tell her before she walks out of the room. Poor woman, she's probably end up dying at the same moment as Jack because he wants her too and he'll maybe even have her grave next to him, or them two in the same coffin. I never thought I'd say it to a woman such as Christine but, poor woman.

* * *

Later that evening I decide to go see Faye since Julia was taking her sweet time getting ready. Faye is just putting on her jewelry as I enter her room and from my spot at the door I can spell the scent of perfume that would always intoxicate me whenever she put it on. "Don't get any ideas," she says as I walk towards her.

"Of course not love, I'm a married man and you are soon to be taken, plus I could never do such a thing, you know you are my dearest friend and I have nothing but respect for you," I tell her as I lightly kiss her cheek. "So, where is your soon to be husband,"

"I wish everyone would stop saying that. He left half an hour ago, he said he had to get to the party early."

"Ah I see, so you have no escort,"

"I honestly don't want to go, I'm not in mood to be around laughing people who will do nothing but dance and drink all night. The only reason I'm going is because I know you'll beg me to until I give in,"

"You're absolutely correct. I can't enjoy myself at a party, especially my party, if you're not there." I say sincerely.

"Yes yes, of course. Well then, let's go and get this over with," she says as she stands and grabs her purse. She looks at me with half a smile and as I take in her beauty something in me can't help but feel rotten for deceiving her. Still I pull myself together and offer her my arm as we leave the room and head out into the limo outside.

* * *

"Your fiancée really outdid himself," I whisper to Faye as we walk into the hall and over to the reserved table where Dagger is already seated with Shin, Christine, and Jack. More guests start filing in and Dagger makes sure to introduce me to all the people I don't seem to know. After a while Faye gets up and heads away from everyone, probably going outside. Dagger gets up to follow but I stop him letting him know to give Faye her space.

The party continues and still I see no sign of Julia. I look down at my watch and notice it's already been thirty minutes. "Where is that woman," I mutter to myself. With her being the lady of the syndicate it's important that she be here by my side, not taking all night making herself look beautiful when it's clear that she doesn't need to spend an hour looking good because she's already pretty.

"Excuse me," a soft female voice says breaking me from my thoughts. I turn hoping to see Julia but instead a beautiful figure in blue stands before me with a bright smile on her face and a light tint of red on her cheeks. "Hi, I'm Anna, my father is an elder for the Red Dragons," she says.

"Really, I don't think I've seen you before, I'm Spike," I say taking her hand and kissing it. She blushes and looks away and I can't help but smile at how cute she looks. She almost reminds me of Faye when we first met, only she has light brown hair and sapphire eyes.

"My father said I should come introduce myself since I'm going to be working in the syndicate as his secretary,"

"I take it you've never been in the syndicate before,"

"No, I've been living on Earth with my mother, I came to stay with my father only because my mother died and I had no other place to go," she said. She seemed so innocent it almost felt like she was a small child. It was probably just her state of dependence, she didn't seem like she had ever been on her own before.

"How old are you," I ask.

"I just turned nineteen two weeks ago," she tells me. Not so much younger than I but still young nonetheless. I'll have to keep an eye out for this one. Anna continues to look down nervously and as I look up I catch the eye of one of the elders, most likely her father. I kiss her hand once more and tell her I'll be sure to save her a dance. She nods and walks off back to her father who smiles at me then begins talking to another elder.

"Taking interest in the new merchandise I see," says Dagger behind me.

"Just getting to know my employees, is that so wrong,"

"I suppose not but don't let Julia catch you staring, she's on her way over right now," he tells me. I turn and there walking towards me in Julia in a long black gown with diamonds and her hair pulled up and pined. "Julia," Dagger greets her then walks off.

"Your late," I say annoyed.

"I'm sorry but it's not as if I missed anything, besides it's healthy to be late dear," she says then kisses my cheek.

"Now that you're here, try and be on your best behavior," I say in a low voice while I hold her close to me. She looks at me sort of hurt then her face grows serious and she steps away and walks off to greet other people. It really is going to be a long night.

* * *

For some reason throughout the night I found myself spending the majority of the time with Anna and her father Frank. We spent the evening laughing and drinking and as promised I shared a dance with the young and shy new secretary. I could feel Julia's eyes watching us as I held Anna and gently moved to the beat of the soft music. She was jealous and I felt guilty. Yes I was suppose to be showing interest in my fellow colleagues and making sure my guests were having a good time but I was also suppose to be by my wife's side. Then again it was her that chose to wander off without a trace so I see no reason why she should be upset at all. After all its only a dance. Dancing doesn't mean I'm cheating or showing her any less attention. Its strictly dancing, and there's absolutely no reason why she should feel hurt or jealous. Or so I believe.


	7. Julia

I can't believe it's already starting to happen. I didn't expect this to be a problem for another many years and here it is starting right now before my eyes. Some may thing I'm taking this way out of proportion but I know I'm not. Spike has been doing nothing but scolding me all night and the only woman who sees to be making him smile is that little young tramp he's now dancing with. The look in his eyes as he looks at me is guilty; he already knows what's going to happen, just like I know. The question is who will leave who first.

"You know the look on your face screams jealousy," says Shin as he sits by me.

"And I have every reason to be jealous."

"God, this is déjà vu. This is just how Faye acted when she watched you and Spike dance together," he said.

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" I say as I sip my wine.

"No, I think it's good that Faye and Spike are just friends, she's better off with Vicious,"

"Poor Vicious, sometimes I wonder if Spike was ever truly his friend,"

"Oh course he wasn't. They were acquaintances, hardly friends,"

"And you, what is Vicious to you?" I ask.

Shin looks at me but doesn't answer but I already know the truth. Shin and Vicious are like brothers. They would never abandon each other. How ironic that Dagger and Spike still manage to keep him around, especially Dagger. He keeps Shin next to him like a shadow, but maybe that's his plan, to keep Shin close to him so he can watch him and make sure Vicious isn't having him doing anything that could ruin him. It does make sense.

"I know what you're thinking," he says.

"I'm sure you do. So are you going to try to prove me wrong?"

"I'm not going to say anything. Do what you want to do, think what you want to think and draw up your own conclusions on how things will turn out, that's all I have to say." He got up to leave but before he could I grabbed his hand and stood so our faces were close to each other.

"Tell me, would you betray Spike to save Vicious." I had to ask. I was dying to know. The suspense was killing me and I'm tired of always being left out in the dark about everything like I'm some child. My heart is pounding and he looks away in deep thought and when he finally turns and looks at me I feel a great sense of excitement rise within me like I was about to learn some big dangerous secret.

"Ask me another time," he replies.

Crash and burn! My face falls and my rising spirit suddenly falls and hits rock bottom. Why doesn't anyone truth me enough to tell me things. "Fine then," I tell him and let him go. How very disappointing.

**

After the party while Spike and I are in the car I can't help but feel sad as I watch him simply stare out the window ignoring me completely. The silence is torturing and even though I want to say something so he'll start talking and be focused on me, nothing comes to mind. He didn't even move as I took his hand hoping that would knock him from his thoughts. What the hell was wrong with him? Was it that girl, was it Dagger, or maybe he was simply tired. If that were the case though I would be able to tell right, and he would surely say something. But not a word had come out of his mouth since we left the party.

"Spike, say something please," I say shaking him lightly.

"What," he says finally looking at me. "What is it?"

"Talk to me, say something,"

"Oh, how did you like the party," he asks.

"It was alright,"

"Just alright, I had a blast; you probably would have had more fun if you had socialized more,"

"Yea well how am I to socialize with people who I have nothing to say to? Everyone there was either talking about syndicate work or people in the syndicate, two things which I have nothing to comment on because I know nothing about the syndicate,"

Spike let go of my hand and rubbed his head and yawned. "Well Julia I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you, you can take a vacation where ever you like,"

"I can take a vacation! That sounds like you're shipping me off by myself. Why can't we both go on a vacation?"

"You know I have work," he says lazily. I can tell he's getting irritated but I can't find the will to stop the conversation. I feel so heated right now I'm almost tempted to stop the car and throw him out, or just leave and find my own way home.

"Is that always going to be the excuse," I say unable to hold it in. "Are you going to do what you did to Faye to me as well." As much as I didn't want to say it I couldn't help myself, I had to know where I stood in Spike's life. I had to know if we were really going to work out.

"Maybe I should, so then you could feel her pain," he said coldly. I couldn't even speak as his eyes stared at me with a dark expression. His mouth was firm and straight and for a second he looked like the Vicious I had met long ago with that hateful look in his eyes and emotionless façade. "You know I can't even believe Faye forgave you so easily, now that I think about you didn't deserve it. That whole affair was your fault"

"Where is this coming from," I say shocked.

"I'm tired, leave me alone," he says and looks away once more.

I'm tired, leave me alone. Did he really just say that to me? Did he really tell me that our affair was my fault? What in the world is happening to us? Things never use to be like this. What's going on, and how do I stop it. How do I get my Spike back?

**

The next day I see Faye as I walk past her room and I stop and watch as she sits by the window, sadness written all over her face. She's been through so much grief and I feel rotten knowing that before I was the cause of her misery. I hate feeling guilty and as much as I want to block it all out I can't, especially as Spike's words stay in my head. "I can't even believe Faye forgave you so easily, now that I think about you didn't deserve it. That whole affair was your fault." Those words hurt me like no other and I've never felt more uncared for in my entire life.

As I watch Faye sadly gazing at the window I can't help but see myself in the same position. Nothing is meant to last forever and even though I want to live happily with Spike as his one and only love I have doubts that things will not be the way I hoped for. I've never been worried over this kind of stuff before especially since Spike and I have shown nothing but love towards each other. But now with Vicious gone, Dagger here in our lives, and Spike's new position, I fear only the worse is to come.

Nothing shall be the same ever again.

**

Spike is in his office talking to Christine. I hear them as I press my ear to the door, luckily no one is around. "That Julia, she's not good enough to be a wife, but I suppose she's too good to be a common whore," says Christine.

So that's what she thinks of me. I shouldn't be surprised, after all from what I hear there isn't anyone she really likes. "Now Christine, don't be mean," Spike says. That's it. That's all he has to say. Some husband he is. For a moment I think about bursting into the room and giving them both a piece of my mind especially Spike but once I hear footsteps approaching I tear myself away from the door and walk away. I don't look back to see who was coming.

I past by Faye's room once more but this time the door is closed. I wonder if I should go talk to her. Talking might help us both. Even though I don't disserve her friendship I need it now more than anything. No one else in this place is trustworthy, and we're the only women around.

Taking a deep breath I reach out and slow turn the knob…..the door is locked.


	8. Shin

Her eyes widened. "I should have never told you that. If Spike finds out,"

"He won't. You know you can trust me Faye." I said.

"Thank you Shin," she said wiping her tears.

I came to Faye's room to find out why she decided to marry Dagger, and honestly I didn't think she would open up so easily, though it was all on accident though. When I came into her room she was looking out the window. I closed and locked the door so we would have some privacy. When I sat by her she starting talking about a dream she had the previous night. She said Vicious found out she was pregnant, he found out she got an abortion, and he said he hated her and left her alone, in the dark. She then started crying. She looked at me and then completely broke down. She said she didn't mean it. She never wanted to kill their baby. She doesn't hate Vicious she loves him. She loves him and she wants to see him alive, that's why she's marrying Dagger, that's why she killed her child. She loves Vicious and she doesn't want him to die. She doesn't want Dagger to destroy the syndicate or her family, Spike, Mao, and me. She says she can't bear to lose us all. So she's marrying Dagger, and she killed her baby.

Then she cried again.

I was shocked and honestly didn't know what to say. I was never expecting all that. The only thing I could think to do was hug her, and that's exactly what I did. "Tell me everything Faye. Start from the beginning, did Dagger make all these threats if you didn't do what he wanted," I ask.

"You're not supposed to know," she said softly.

"Faye, you know I'm here for you. You can tell me. Let me help you, that is what I'm here for. I'm supposed to protect you," I tell her.

"If he finds out…if you give him the slightest clue that you know,"

"I won't,"

"You won't feel the same once I tell you," Faye says.

"I know how to hide emotion Faye. Don't worry about that," I let go of her so now we're looking right at each other. She looks towards the door and I tell her I locked it. She's asks about Spike. "He's in his office talking to your mother,"

She was silent and kept her eyes down. I waited. When she finally looked up at me I nodded and gave her a small smile. She took my hand. "She said the only way to save Vicious was to marry Dagger,"

"Who said?"

"My mother. She said everyone was doomed if I didn't do what he wanted. She said everyone would die and only I would be left to live and see the consequences of my actions. My mother told me to marry Dagger, and Spike supported her completely. He laid down the rules. Rule one: Give no signs of affection for Vicious, rule two: make my love for Dagger believable, and rule three: Remember that someone is always watching. I wasn't suppose to tell anybody, not even Dagger." She stopped talking, but that was all I needed to hear. It all made sense now. The reason Spike is now leader of the Red Dragons is because he did as Dagger ordered him to do. Convince Faye to be his and get rid of her baby, the last thing connecting her to Vicious. I'm pretty sure Christine has gotten something out of it as well, though I'm not sure what that could be.

As I take all of this in I rub my face and sigh. Now I know Spike and Christine can't be trusted. Now I know there is no one I the syndicate I can count on. Now I have to come up with a plan.

**

Once I leave Faye's room Mao turns up saying Faye wanted to talk to him about something. I figured she was probably going to tell him the same thing she confessed to me. After all who else could Faye talk to besides myself and Mao. There was no one in this place who could be trusted to keep their mouth shut and their eyes away from others people's business. That's the one bad thing about the syndicate, there's hardly any privacy.

Anna is walking my way with a stack of papers in hand. I can only assume she's going into Spike's office like myself. She looks happy as if she can't wait to catch a glimpse of him and then I know; she already likes him. She probably doesn't even care about the fact that he's married, then again why should she? Spike's attention was all on her at the party even though Julia was there, I wouldn't think I had much competition either.

"Hi Shin,"

"Hello Anna,"

"I was just about to go see Spike to give him these papers,"

"You might have to wait a bit. I think he might still be in his meeting," I tell her. Most likely trying to figure out how to get rid of Vicious but make Faye believe he's still alive in jail.

"Oh alright. Are you waiting for him as well?"

"I am," I say.

"Shin," says Julia coming up behind me. What a coincidence! I turn and look at her but her eyes are glued on Anna. Already she's prepared to attack.

"Julia," I say stepping in front of Anna so she can't see her. "Are you waiting to see Spike too?"

"Yes, I am waiting to see my _husband, _and you,"

"I'm waiting to see your husband as well. So is Anna, she's here to drop off some papers,"

I step away and Julia forces a small smile and extends her hand towards Anna. "Hello, I'm Julia, Spike's wife, and your Anna correct,"

Anna nodded. She didn't look intimidated one bit and Julia could tell but she tried not to show any signs of annoyance. This woman is seriously too easy to read. Finally the door opens and Christine walks out with Spike behind her. Her face scrunches up as she looks from Julia to Anna and Spike looks like he wants to just disappear now seeing the two women before him. He doesn't say anything and walks back inside and I tell Anna I'll take the papers in for her. Julia just stands there and I begin to get the feeling she really wasn't there to see Spike, she just didn't want Anna alone with him. I hope she's not going to do anything stupid, it would be quite embarrassing to start a fight… then again it might be the best thing and will show Spike he shouldn't do the very thing we know he wants to do. Christine says goodbye to me before she starts walking away and I give her a small smile. She doesn't really deserve any kind words or gestures.

**

The meeting with Spike wasn't really anything worth talking about. He was quite a bore and really not fit when it came to running a large and powerful organization. I was even sure I could do better than him.

I was ready now to go home to my condo and have that long awaited nap that I had been postponing. I've hardly slept since I've been going back and forth from Dagger to Spike and then going over to see Vicious. But that's the sacrifice you make when you're in the syndicate and have a rank like mine. Mao takes the same elevator as me as I head down but he says nothing, he only smiles and nods his head. Not that I was expecting anything.

He is silent all the way from the elevator until we both get outside and once we descend the stairs and I'm ready to head over to my car he stops me. He looks around slowly but doesn't make it obvious and asks me to walk with him. There is a car already waiting for him not too far away and we walk very slowly towards its direction.

"We need to talk about Vicious," he says.


	9. Vicious POV

A day went by, and then I was visited by Shin.

He walked in seeming calm and collected but I could tell something was off. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest and see his body shaking. Right then I knew, he was planning something, and the look on his face confirmed it as he stared at me hard. He was sending me a message. 'Get ready,' was what his eyes said.

Although I wasn't certain what his plan was it seemed to me as if it was something made up last minute and he was now basically improvising. But what did it matter; I had faith in Shin and knew that he was sure to pull this off. He wasn't the type to do something if he had a feeling it wouldn't work out. He had never let me down before and I sure this time wouldn't be different.

"Cuff him he's being moved," he tells the guard.

The guard looks at him oddly as if he had just said something foreign. "Moved…sir I wasn't told-

"Are you questioning my authority? Do you know what my post is," Shin says darkly and I can't help but smirk. He suddenly reminds me of myself.

"No sir, yes sir, sorry sir," he answers quickly. The guard runs over to me and jumbles though his keys trying to find the right ones to unravel me from the wall. He is acting utterly pathetic and even drops the keys when he finally manages to find the right one. Obviously he is nervous. He mutters a whole bunch of apologies and searches though the keys once more. It is really pathetic and annoying seeing how clumsy this guy was, and yet he managed to get a job here.

After he finally got the cuff that was connected to the wall onto my other hand we start walking out the cell and up the hall. Shin is a step ahead of us standing tall and looking forward as if everything is just right. The security camera follows us as we move and I look up at it and smirk darkly. I'm sure who ever is looking at us isn't very happy.

We are questioned again as we stop at one of the doors leading towards the path to freedom. Shin feeds them the same story he had told the guard then we keep moving. Again we are stopped and again two more times until finally we are near the exit. The door opens and outside a black limo is waiting with the engine running. Shin lets me in first then get in after and only after we drive off does he pull out the key to my restraints.

"That was easier than I thought," he says.

"You're lucky those men were such idiots that they couldn't see past your false assertiveness."

"I didn't think I was too bad,"

"No but I could still tell you were nervous,"

"Yea, only you would notice that," he says then takes out his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sure the person in charge is going to be making a call to the syndicate so I'm interfering. This should make the line busy," he said then looked at his watch. "There's still another ten seconds to go."

"Ten seconds…you planted a bomb,"

"Quick easy and leaves no evidence of bodies or…security cameras."

"Not bad, I'm impressed," I told him.

"Well that's a first," he said amused. Then his watch makes a small beeping noise and there's a loud bang behind us. The car slightly jumps off the ground and I don't need to look back to know that place is now history, but Shin glances over his shoulder with a proud smile on his face like he just created a masterpiece. How young he still is.

*

We stop at an old building and ahead is a black sedan parked with someone standing by it dressed in all black. I can't tell who the person is until I get out of the car and start walked towards him. Then I see, its Mao. I follow him inside his car and that's when he starts talking. He doesn't say anything of any importance so I stay silent.

Then he mentions Faye. "What's happened to Faye," I immediately ask impatiently. His face falls and for a while he doesn't speak. His eyes don't look into mine, in fact his face is not even facing my direction. I was getting impatient. My hands ball into fists and my face hardens as the thoughts of Dagger hurting Faye come into my mind. He'll surely pay if he has.

Mao then finally speaks. "Things have changed in the syndicate Vicious…Faye is…was..pregnant with your child. She just recently got an abortion," he said.

"What," I said in disbelief.

He continued on. "She's now with Dagger," he said. "They're engaged to be married."

My heart stopped as I heard those words. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Is this some kind of joke?" I said angrily. He didn't reply but I knew it had to be untrue. There was no possible way Faye could give up our child to be with Dagger. "I don't believe you," I told him.

"I couldn't either, but I talked to Faye myself. Everything I'm telling you is what she told me and I was just as shocked because I was sure it was just a silly rumor Christine spread around," he said.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" I got out the car. "I don't believe a word of it. It's some kind of trick Christine's pulling. I'm not stupid Mao. Do you honestly believe Faye who hates Dagger just as much as myself, would agree to marry him and kill our child. Are you honestly telling me to believe that? Do you really think she would do that because she's fallen in love with him?"

This time he looked at me.

"No, if she's done it's because she's been tricked. It's all a trick. Every little bit of it, and for that they will all pay,"

"Vicious," he called but I shut the door and walked back to the car.

I feel so angry at everyone, Dagger, Christine, Mao, Faye…how could she let them trick her. Yet knowing her she would do whatever it took to make sure I was alright, probably even take her own life. So why should I be upset that she's aborted our child, when she's done it for me no doubt. No, it's not betrayal, though I'm sure everyone else would like me to see it as that. I wonder when Dagger was planning on telling me. It doesn't matter now though, the first priority now is getting back into the syndicate.


	10. Christine's thoughts

I couldn't believe my ears when Dagger called me to say Vicious was dead. I was beyond overjoyed. He said Vicious had tried to escape and he ended up setting the place on fire. There were no survivors and he said his men were positive Vicious had not been able to get out in time.

I just laughed since I couldn't think of anything else to do. Mao was of course upset but no one paid him any mind. Shin had gone off to tell Faye and I was already positive that she would be crushed. No matter what kind of façade she put on she loved Vicious with all her heart and it tore me apart seeing the amount of emotion she showed when it came to him. She was completely different. She was a woman in love, someone ready to do whatever to make sure her lover was happy and alive. The kind of woman I once tried to be but failed.

But I was going to change all that. I would teach her that love was nothing because in reality it was just that, nothing, except pain and suffering. It was not something permanent and it didn't come without sacrifice. That's all it was about, giving and giving until you had nothing left. There was nothing to be gained by it at all.

She would learn soon. She would learn that love was nothing but artificial fairy dust, pretty but worthless, a wasted emotion. Faye would learn Vicious was nothing and a marriage to Dagger was her only ticket to true happiness. She would learn eventually that happiness is in power and nothing else. I would make her just like me then she would understand.

I was sure of that.


End file.
